GRAND RAPIDS — A pair of portrait-perfect tigers named Titan and Mabelle await your arrival.
So too, does a pint-sized pygmy hippo named Hugo.
Ernest and Mac — the first being a golden eagle, the latter a bald eagle — await, too, as does a snowy owl named Aspen, wallabies named Delta and Mica, a snow leopard named Mylo, and an Alaskan bear named Booboo, who is thought to be the oldest resident of the John Ball Zoo.
Located a comfortable 2 ½ hour road trip down the U.S. 131 expressway from Traverse City to Grand Rapids, the zoo is spread out over 140 acres and is subdivided into five wildlife kingdoms that are homes to animals from five continents and 21 countries.
Amur tigers such as Titan and Mabelle are native to the Russian Far East and northeast China. Critically endangered today numbers-wise — it was estimated in 2022 their world-wide population had dwindled to below 500 — those dwindling numbers that do not include the two who are being cared for and kept from harm’s way in the John Ball Zoo, or others being cared for in sanctuaries, refuges and other zoos.
“They’re part of the managed population in accredited zoos, so they are not counted among the fewer than 500 Amur tigers remaining in the wild,” said Kirsten Mann, Digital Communications Manager at the John Ball Zoo. “That number refers specifically to wild tigers living in their natural habitat.
“Tigers in AZA-accredited zoos (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) are part of a carefully managed conservation program called a Species Survival Plan. The goal of these programs is to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population in human care as a safeguard for the species. This population can help support conservation efforts through research, education, and, when appropriate, potential future reintroduction efforts.”
Mann said that in the past three years more than 700,000 visitors have looked on in awe and wonder at such zoo residents as Titan, Hugo, Ernest, Mac and all the others.
“Booboo’s been here since July 9th, 1994,” Mann said of the giant brown bear. “(She) came to us from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, where she was rescued. We also have our snow leopard cub, Juniper, who’s so fun to see. We’ll be adding turkey vultures and a couple other new bird species soon.”
Mann said a state-of-the-art otter habitat will become home to Slyde, Quigley, Bruce and Crush this year and is expected to be a favorite draw of schools from across the state that year in and year out, use the John Ball Zoo as an innovative, outdoor classroom.
“The furthest schools that have had field trips to the zoo (came to us) from all the way up in Leland, and as far east as Charlotte,” said Mann. “Sometimes, we’ll even have schools from northern Indiana visit. As for a typical family visit, most people should plan for about two to three hours to comfortably see the majority of the zoo.”
Near the zoo’s entrance is the Waters of the World, where the regal eagles Ernest and Mac strut and stretch their massive, majestic wings.
Then comes the Wild Way Trail, the Idema Forest Realm, the Americas, and now under construction and coming in 2028, a new exhibit dedicated to Africa where zoo personnel will play host to a lion, chimpanzee, meerkat, warthog, already are on site, and their African friends such as giraffes, ostriches and more, will arrive in good time.
So what other animals might you cross paths with on your visit to the John Ball Zoo and its aquarium? How about black swans, white storks, penguins, spider crabs, beaver (not yet on site), porcupine, Canada lynx, a mountain lion, flamingos, spider monkeys, armadillo, snakes, lizards, turtles, wallaby, cockatoo, ring-tailed lemur, screech owl, honey bees, barn owl, sloth, frogs, salamanders, and more.
The John Ball Zoo is currently hosting the colorful Grand Rapids Lantern Festival, which will run through mid June. The festival features hundreds of large hanging lanterns that will make evenings in the zoo sparkle like a kaleidoscope of candle-burnt rainbows.
The zoo offers so much more, including face painting; zip lining; a ropes course; camel rides; a hobby farm where visitors can get up close with farm animals including, sheep, goats and a cow; stroller, wagon and motorized wheelchair rental (non-motorized wheelchairs are provided, free of charge); first-aid and emergency shelters; a guest services office; plenty of food service sites; restrooms; and a plethora of benches and chairs to sit and rest, and more.
Located at 1300 West Fulton Street in Grand Rapids, the zoo will remain open through mid November. For ticket prices and other information go to jbzoo.org, or call 616-336-4300.